I'm Buddy sitting today and can't leave the yard so I've been sitting under a tree re-reading parts of The Evening Star. When I finally memorized everything John Steinbeck had published I started reading Larry McMurtry, and use him in the same way. My sister has started reading but won't go to the library, so I bring her my favorite books and usually go through them before taking them back. I just took East of Eden to her, my absolute favorite book and one I've read probably 30 or 50 times. Beautiful day but I'm not appreciating it as much as I could. I feel sort of trapped by these dog-care responsibilities. Buddy is being really good right now, but just the fact that he has never been, and apparently can't ever be, left alone, is kind of intense. He isn't mean, but he is big and plays the way the guys in Dumb and Dumber played (the snowball fight and the race up the stairs).